Raptors Win Over Brooklyn Nets[/b]
Kyle Lowry could not sit down. The Toronto Raptors had blitzed the Brooklyn Nets, scoring 13 of the Sunday evening’s game’s first 15 points. During the timeout that followed, Lowry’s teammates each found a chair. Lowry, trying to keep his injured right knee loose, stayed on his feet pacing, bending, and grimacing.
About two and a half hours later, Lowry was still out there. With just more than a minute remaining in the fourth quarter, Lowry had dragged his leg around for 34 minutes of game action. His team was up by four points, but the Raptors had been grasping for any offensive spark since a hot first quarter transitioned into stagnancy. Lowry got the ball, and attacked Brooklyn big man Kevin Garnett. Garnett’s defence was sound. Lowry had to release a modified sky-hook, hardly his patented shot. Mesh.
I think that was the first time [I’ve taken that shot] this year in a game, Lowry said after the Raptors 87-79 win over Brooklyn, tying the first-round series 2-2. I did it in a practice, like, once. With so much going against them, the Raptors were able to win because they fixed their two biggest issues in the first three games. Thanks to aggressive double- and triple-teaming, Nets swingman Joe Johnson took just seven shots in 42 minutes. And, after pushing 20 turnovers in each of the first three games, they lowered that number to 12 on Sunday.
We understand that this team is a group that’s not going to back down, that’s not going to give up, Pierce said. They earn a lot of people’s respect around the league. Just because you don’t have a lot of playoff experience doesn’t mean you’re not a good team. You can learn on the fly.
Indeed, the night began with Lowry declining to sit down. His team is following suit.
Kyle Lowry could not sit down. The Toronto Raptors had blitzed the Brooklyn Nets, scoring 13 of the Sunday evening’s game’s first 15 points. During the timeout that followed, Lowry’s teammates each found a chair. Lowry, trying to keep his injured right knee loose, stayed on his feet pacing, bending, and grimacing.
About two and a half hours later, Lowry was still out there. With just more than a minute remaining in the fourth quarter, Lowry had dragged his leg around for 34 minutes of game action. His team was up by four points, but the Raptors had been grasping for any offensive spark since a hot first quarter transitioned into stagnancy. Lowry got the ball, and attacked Brooklyn big man Kevin Garnett. Garnett’s defence was sound. Lowry had to release a modified sky-hook, hardly his patented shot. Mesh.
I think that was the first time [I’ve taken that shot] this year in a game, Lowry said after the Raptors 87-79 win over Brooklyn, tying the first-round series 2-2. I did it in a practice, like, once. With so much going against them, the Raptors were able to win because they fixed their two biggest issues in the first three games. Thanks to aggressive double- and triple-teaming, Nets swingman Joe Johnson took just seven shots in 42 minutes. And, after pushing 20 turnovers in each of the first three games, they lowered that number to 12 on Sunday.
We understand that this team is a group that’s not going to back down, that’s not going to give up, Pierce said. They earn a lot of people’s respect around the league. Just because you don’t have a lot of playoff experience doesn’t mean you’re not a good team. You can learn on the fly.
Indeed, the night began with Lowry declining to sit down. His team is following suit.